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    Cover of SAS Survival Handbook

    SAS Survival Handbook

    John Wiseman · 1986

    A survival guide from the Special Air Service offers a complete course on how to be prepared for any type of emergency--from natural disasters to terrorist attacks to wilderness adventures--explaining how to adapt successfully to various climates, how to identify edible plants, and how to build a fire, with tips on first aid, campcraft, emergency preparation, and more. The SAS Survival Handbook is the Special Air Service's complete course in being prepared for any type of emergency. John Wiseman presents real strategies for surviving in any type of situation, from accidents and escape procedures, including chemical and nuclear to successfully adapting to various climates (polar, tropical, desert), to identifying edible plants and creating fire. The book is extremely practical and is illustrated throughout with easy-to-understand line art and diagrams.

    Food, Travel & LifestylePhysics & Cosmology
    Open LibraryAmazon
    Stats for nerds
    4recommend
    8mentions
    6people
    2010–2026years
    50% recommend50% neutral

    Mentions per year

    201020122014201620182020202220242026

    What Hacker News says

    1. defrostNov 2024
      A book with a lot to say about the kinds of islands that are likely to be deserted.

      Failing that, a good general book on survival in various scenarios is The SAS Survival Handbook by John Wiseman.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_SAS_Survival_Handbook

      If you were going to be stranded in Northern Australia you'd likely prefer the Australian Army Bush Tucker Guide maps - topo maps with routes, springs, etc. marked and a food guide on the back showing edible resources by map grid.

      thread
    2. kzrdudeMar 2023
      Amusingly, John Wiseman's classic SAS survival handbook has advice for this situation.

        > You can sometimes sense that a lightning strike is imminent by a
        > tingling in the skin and the sensation of the hair standing on end. If
        > you are standing up, drop to the ground AT ONCE, going first to the
        > knees with the hands touching the ground. If you should be struck,
        > the charge may take the easiest route to the earth through your
        > arms - missing the torso and possibly saving you from heart failure
        > or asphixiation. QUICKLY LIE FLAT.
      thread
    3. neilellisSep 2017
      Yeah I downloaded it last time I got paranoid about nuclear equipped super-powers falling out with each other.

      (In case of real emergency, maybe the paper version :- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nuclear-War-Survival-Skills-Instruc...)

      If you can put aside my prepper-paranoia then I suggest it's a good practical and insightful read. There are many tips in there that would serve you well during any disaster, man made or otherwise.

      Don't forget to buy your geiger counter while stocks last :-)

      Oh and get your copy of SAS Survival Handbook, a timeless read :- https://www.amazon.co.uk/SAS-Survival-Handbook-Definitive-Gu...

      thread
    4. dkerstenJan 2010
      I got myself a copy of the SAS survival handbook sometime last year. It covers this topic and many others: http://www.amazon.com/SAS-Survival-Handbook-Revised-Situatio...
      thread
    5. defrostOct 2026
      My grandchildren (ages 10 - 13) have been recently given and are apparently somewhat attached to

      The Mouse and His Child - Russell Hoban

      A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel - Ursula K. Le Guin, Fred Fordham

      The SAS Survival Handbook - Lofty Wiseman

      They more or less all cover the search for being self winding.

      thread
    6. kzrdudeSep 2022
      The old SAS Survival Handbook (by John Wiseman) contains the advice that if you feel any “tingle” in a thunderstorm, get on the ground, preferably hitting the ground with your hands/arms first. I wonder how much it’s based on anything that helps in real life.

      (Stretching out arms sounds strange, don’t you want to minimize your reach of contact points with the ground, considering how many V/m there will be if lightning strikes close to you?)

      thread

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